Maybe it's false bravado. Maybe it's twisted logic. Or perhaps, it's just the kind of confidence and leadership the Saints need from their All-Pro quarterback.

Whatever the reason, Drew Brees came to work Monday morning dripping with optimism, determined to spin the Saints' horrifying 0-2 start into some sort of rite of passage that all great teams must survive.

"I've been thinking about it a lot," Brees said on the day after the Saints' stunning 31-14 loss at Tampa Bay. "A lot on the plane ride home, a lot last night, and then this morning as you're lifting weights and running and trying to come up with some answers. And you know, I feel more confident than ever right now.

"That may sound kind of crazy after the last two weeks and the results of these games. But I feel like this is happening to us for a reason. It's only going to make us stronger and bring us together as a team. And sometimes you need something like this to happen to provoke that kind of thing."

Making us stronger

There is a very legitimate reason why the Saints turned around their fortunes so drastically last season and went on the most remarkable run in the team's 40-year history. They had the right people in the right places, starting with Brees and coach Sean Payton.

Now that they are 0-2, having lost two games by a combined score of 72-24 at Indianapolis and Tampa Bay, they need the right people in the right places more than ever.

"The biggest thing we've been able to do here is put the right type of character in this locker room. And one of the reasons I think you do that is for times like today. Right now," said Payton, who recalled telling his team at the beginning of this season that at some point they would face some sort of losing skid, just like when they lost three out of four games in October and November last year.

"I don't care who you are, you're going to hit a stretch where you don't play well," he told his players. "Now, obviously you'd rather not hit that stretch the first two weeks of the season. But if you have the right guys in that locker room, which I think we do, then you know you're going to get the right response."

No fire, brimstone

Payton's postgame speech to his team Sunday afternoon was not filled with fire and brimstone. He wasn't angry or threatening. But fullback Mike Karney did say it was considerably longer than any other postgame speech he can remember.

The message was that each individual player needs to look in the mirror and figure out what he can do better.

"I think they want the truth. And they want to know, 'How do we get this thing corrected?'¤" Payton said. "I know sometimes this sounds like a cliche, but it is about blocking, tackling, protecting the football, catching the football, keeping the right leverage, being in the right position. And those are some of the things that come up when you grade the tape.

"So we've got a little gut-check here right off the bat at the start of the season, and we're going to have to respond."

The first chance will come Monday night in the Superdome. The Saints will make their home debut in front of the nationally televised audience on ESPN against the Tennessee Titans and second-year star quarterback Vince Young.

'Could be the spark'

"It could be the spark we need to get this thing turned around," Karney said of the much-needed home-field advantage.

A little bit of everything has gone wrong for the Saints this year. The running game, the passing game, the defense, the special teams. They've turned the ball over five times, and they've forced only one turnover.

"It's not one salve that can heal what's going on right now," said offensive tackle Jon Stinchcomb, who refused to lean on the idea that the Saints have fallen victim to overconfidence or to the pressure of high expectations.

"I'm not going to give a generalization like that. It's too easy," Stinchcomb said. "It's too easy to say people have become complacent."

Still, it's impossible to ignore the connection between the Saints' expectations and their performance.

Just a couple of weeks ago a lot of folks were picking this team to reach the Super Bowl for the first time in franchise history -- both the national experts and the long-suffering local fan base.

Saints believers

The Saints believed it, too, after they reached the NFC championship game last season, then returned almost every starter and key backup this season.

Then came a 41-10 loss to the Super Bowl-champion Colts on the nationally televised season opener, followed by the even more perplexing loss to Tampa Bay, a team that finished 4-12 last season.

The Saints players said they can't help but wonder if maybe they just "expected" good things to happen to them this year or maybe if they are "pressing" and trying to force big plays that aren't there.

But Saints players said they know they have the talent and the ability to win big games against big-time opponents. They did it last season. And so far, they haven't let any doubt creep into their locker room.

"There will be better days," said defensive tackle Hollis Thomas, who played for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2003, when they started 0-2 and finished 12-4. "This is not one of them. But it's encouraging to see everybody in here not hanging their heads, because it's the second game of the season and we don't need anybody hanging their heads.

Piece by piece

"We've just got to get this thing turned around, game by game, play by play, practice by practice, workout by workout, film session by film session."

Since 1999, only five NFL teams have reached the playoffs after starting 0-2, but there are always exceptions to the rule, like Thomas' Eagles and the 2001 New England Patriots, who finished 14-2 and won the Super Bowl.

"By no means are we out of it," said Brees, who played for the San Diego Chargers in 2005 when they started 0-2, then narrowly missed the playoffs with a 9-7 record. "We came back and won (nine of our next 12 games). So I know there's times when you face this kind of thing, and you've just got to fight through it.

"It sets you back a little bit, but it's nothing we can't overcome."

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Mike Triplett can be reached at mtriplett@timespicayune.com or (504) 826-3405.